Find out how popular the last name Dore is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dore.

Dore, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dore in America

Dore is the 6662nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dore surname appeared 5,075 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dore to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dore

The surname Dore has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "dor," meaning a door or entrance, and was likely a topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent door or gate.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Dore can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "de la Dore." This suggests that the name was initially a descriptive phrase meaning "of the door" or "near the door."

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where it is spelled as "del Dore" and "atte Dore." These early spellings further reinforce the connection to the Old English word "dor" and the name's topographic origins.

The Dore surname may also be associated with certain place names, such as Dore Abbey in Herefordshire, which was founded in the 12th century. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their proximity to this or other locations with similar names.

One notable figure from history bearing the surname Dore was John Dore (c. 1460-1527), an English diplomat and Catholic priest who served as the ambassador to Spain and Portugal under King Henry VIII. Another was Richard Dore (c. 1510-1571), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the Elizabethan persecution of Catholics.

In the arts, the French artist and illustrator Gustave Dore (1832-1883) is perhaps the most famous bearer of this surname. His engravings and illustrations for works such as Dante's Divine Comedy and the Bible are widely celebrated.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dore include Thomas Dore (1598-1689), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament, and Benjamin Dore (1688-1768), an English painter and etcher known for his landscapes and portraits.

While the surname Dore has evolved in spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the Old English topographic reference, highlighting the connection between names and the physical environments in which they originated.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dore

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dore.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dore was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dore has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dore was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dore, please contact us.

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